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Nick Saban discusses what it means to make another national title game

ns_headshot_2024-clearby:Nick Schultz12/31/21

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Nick Saban stood out like a strobe
(Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

This year will be the eighth College Football Playoff national championship. It’ll be the sixth time Alabama is playing in the game.

The No. 1-ranked Crimson Tide rolled to a resounding 27-6 victory over No. 3 Cincinnati Friday night to punch their ticket to the national championship. After the game, Nick Saban talked about what it means to get to the title game once again.

“Tough game, [we] did a great job of running the ball offensively,” Saban told ESPN’s Molly McGrath. “Defense came up with some really big stops early big plays in the game. So I’m really proud of this group to come this far. … They got an opportunity now and now’s not the time to be relieved. It’s also time to enjoy what we accomplished tonight.”

It’s Alabama’s second straight appearance in the national championship. Remember, the Crimson Tide won the game last year, defeating Ohio State 52-24. Now, they’ll get ready to face the winner of No. 2 Michigan vs. No. 3 Georgia in this year’s CFP national championship on Jan. 10.

Alabama flat out dominated Cincinnati in the Cotton Bowl. The Crimson Tide had 482 total yards compared to the Bearcats’ 218. Brian Robinson Jr. also had a huge day, rushing for 204 yards — the most any running back has ever rushed for under Saban.

Nick Saban discusses Brian Robinson after historic performance

Friday’s Cotton Bowl was a historic performance from Alabama running back Brian Robinson, rushing for 204 yards and averaging 7.8 yards per carry.

After getting the win over Cincinnati, Alabama head coach Nick Saban was asked about the running back’s performance. He also complimented Robinson’s willingness to wait for his time to shine.

“Well, we love it when B-Rob gets rolling,” Saban said during his postgame sideline interview. “And we knew that we’d have to run the ball in this three-three stack stuff that these guys play. He did a fantastic job, the offensive line did a really good job in the run game. So I’m really proud of B-Rob. He’s a fine young man. And to come back to play this year, he’s really created a lot of value for himself.”